In the run-up to Election Day, high school teacher Jack Carney took a hands-on approach to teaching his U.S. government students about the issues at stake. The class is predominantly made up of seniors.
Over the past few weeks, Carney’s students researched, studied and formed opinions on the ballot measures and candidates in the Nov. 5 election. Though just one of the nine students was eligible to vote in the actual election, eight of the nine students participated in the mock election. (One student was absent.)
The results were relatively in line with the actual outcomes. In Carney’s classroom, former president Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to win the White House; Nick Begich and incumbent U.S. Rep. Mary Pelota split the classroom vote for Congress with four apiece; and Jeremy Bynum won the Alaska House District 1 seat, defeating Agnes Moran and Grant EchoHawk.
As for the ballot measures, the students voted in favor of requiring paid sick leave and increasing Alaska’s minimum wage. The students voted to a four-four deadlock on the measure to repeal Alaska’s ranked-choice voting and eliminate the state’s open primaries.
On Nov. 5, the Sentinel visited the class and spoke with all nine students about the classroom exercise. We polled students on their views as future voters as well as their general optimism about the country’s next four years.
Just one student considered themselves an informed voter before studying the issues in class. After learning about the issues and candidates, all nine considered themselves informed. The sole student old enough to vote said he planned on voting after school that day.
Though eight members of the class were under 18, all nine students believed that “my vote matters.”
Assuming voter eligibility for the following questions, eight of the nine students said they would be “excited to vote” this year. Eight of the nine also said they are motivated by national issues rather than local issues. Eight students said they vote similarly to their parents. One student said they do not.
Of the issues on the ballot, five students said they were most excited to vote in the presidential election. One student said they were most excited to vote in the state House race. Another said Ballot Measure 1 (sick leave and minimum wage) was the most exciting for them.
Though the poll took place ahead of the day’s elections results, the Sentinel gauged student optimism over the next four years regardless of the outcomes in state and national races.
Two of the nine students said they were generally optimistic about Wrangell’s next four years. One student said they were optimistic about Alaska. Six of the nine students said they were optimistic about the United States over the next four years. Zero students felt optimistic about the world as a whole.
“The world is a bit tense right now,” senior Ander Edens said. He noted that the current international climate resembles the international climate in the years leading up to World War I.
Edens, 17, volunteered to speak about what politically motivates him as a young person. He was the only student in the class who said he prioritized local issues over national issues. The senior was also just one of two students who felt optimistic about Wrangell’s next four years.
He said the economy was the most important issue to him, and that he felt that Begich was better suited to Wrangell’s needs than Peltola, citing lower taxes and greater support for small businesses.
Upon graduation, all nine students plan to leave not just Wrangell, but Alaska too.
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